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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119010">All that glitters is not gold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/V0idNecr0mancer/pseuds/V0idNecr0mancer'>V0idNecr0mancer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hermitcraft RPF, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bickering, Desperation, Explosions, Flying, Found, Glittering Gold Au, Highway, Loneliness, Mistake, Treasure People, Walking, antique shop, falling, idk how to tag is it obvious yet, illusion, remembering, sad shovel, taxidermy duck, tired, treasure</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:47:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,686</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/V0idNecr0mancer/pseuds/V0idNecr0mancer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Treasures are nice. They glitter, they're expensive, they're pretty...<br/>The souls trapped in them don't always seem to think so.<br/>But this isn't really their story, now is it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>alright, here's to me having no self control *raises glass*</p><p>either way, you might want to read up on this headcanon doc + the original tumblr post to comprehend this au a bit more.<br/>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bLkwmL-mh8Ru1wG6SsR1Sn_HfHDNioO0F2azik9tOXA/edit?usp=sharing</p><p>credit to aura and bon for coming up with most of these hcs ^</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There is a story told around these days…</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Of a group once called the Hermits.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It is said that these people were heroes, wanderers and traders.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And yet they were all befallen by a terrible fate.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Hermits were wiped out by a threat from below ground.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They took out the heroes of the land without mercy.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The Hels dimension overtook the Hermits,</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Leaving their souls to be free from their mortal coils</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Yet these spirits became trapped in treasures.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Objects once belonging to them.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Heirlooms passed through generations of descendants.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Until these bloodlines faded out through time.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A prophecy was told of heirs and heroes.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Individuals who would find their long lost relatives.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">To use the powers of their relics to fight</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The resurgence of the Hels dimension.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And so the stage was set.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Players on a gilded checkerboard pattern.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">With deception in every hidden corner.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Time to move the first piece, wouldn’t you say?</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">People always tried to fix the pocket watch. It was broken, and such a beautiful antique could be put to better use than just sitting uselessly on a shelf. The watch would be a fun project and perhaps the fixers could improve it. However, the watch always seemed to refuse being fixed. For every person that came upon it, the watch always displayed a different time. Even when delving into the complicated gear work, or just manually moving the hands, it always told the same exact time for each person that found it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The watch would then be thrown out by its multitude of owners, only labelled as defunct trash. It would sit in the contents of a garbage can, to be dirtied by the spoils around it though it would never truly be damaged. Eventually, the watch would reappear elsewhere and the cycle of fixing and disposing would begin again.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The watch’s spirit looked on, disheartened, as it was thrown away again. As it fell into the dumpster, the soul cried out, trying to reach for the one who had cast them away. Yet, they were never heard, with this time no exception. Only the sound of the person’s footsteps resonated through the alley’s space, no voice to be heard. In vain, the spirit tried to get somebody’s, anybody’s attention. Their countless pleas fell on deaf ears.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Please, don’t leave me alone…!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Can’t you hear me…?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Don’t leave me…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Please…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I don’t want to be alone anymore…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Their vision shifted, a shadow went through the alley. The pocket watch screamed to the darkness, begging to be picked up, to be taken away, and to not be left alone. The shadow was nothing but a cloud passing over the sun. The illusion soon faded, leaving the spirit broken by its deceit.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The pocket watch’s soul started curling up on themselves, sobs racking through them. A crushing loneliness pressed down on them like an anvil on their shoulders, making the tears finally fall. They cried, left to rot again. They just wanted to talk to someone, even for a second. Simple, human contact would do, please…!</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Hello? Is somebody crying?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The voice rang in the spirit’s ears, shocking them out of their self-centred misery. They looked up, vision blurry with tears and unable to believe what they were seeing in front of them.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The voice belonged to a robot. They had abnormally large eyes, with a strange smooth outer shell the colour reminiscent to human skin. They had no mouth, but two speakers seemingly embedded in the neck seemed to be their method of speech. They were wearing a pristine white suit, as well as an awfully familiar jade monocle…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “C-can you hear me…?” The spirit softly asked, their voice thick with held back emotions. They shouldn’t get their hopes up so quickly but it was hard not to. They’d been lonely for so long… They couldn’t really help it as they anxiously watched the robot’s reaction, hoping against hope that they’d finally been heard.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yes, though I don’t seem to be able to see you. Would you like to be left alone?-”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “N-no! Don’t l-leave me alone!” The spirit frantically blurted out, interrupting the inquiring robot in their desperation for the person <em>to not leave them alone like somanyothershadplease-</em></span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Where are you then? I’d like to be able to help but I can’t seem to find you” the robot asked, passing in front of the dumpster the silver pocket watch was in. The spirit flailed, trying to stop the robot from passing by.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I-I’m in the dumpster! Over h-here!” They called out, almost hysterical as they tried to direct the robot’s attention. Their panic immediately started dying down once the robot turned back towards the dumpster.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The robot seemed to focus on the monocle for a second. The spirit could almost hear a buzzing coming from it. The eyewear seemed to be getting more and more familiar by the second, but the trapped soul couldn’t quite remember from where… Until the buzzing turned out to be a voice. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “It’s him, I swear it’s him, this so omega, oh my god-“ a nonstop ramble of relief and excitement met the spirit’s ears. The monocle was nervous, yet happy, to see the watch…? Connections started to form and suddenly the watch’s spirit understood.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Are you… the pocket watch?” The robot asked, approaching the dumpster. The monocle’s voice became louder, more recognizable. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The spirit was speechless. They could recognize the monocle, as well as the voice ofperson inside of it. They hadn’t realized in their despair the familiar presence on their radar, nor the compatible heir… The robot, the one with the monocle, was one of their heirs, somehow.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Y-yes, I am the pocket watch” the spirit finally replied as the silence of realizations crashing down on them dragged on. The robot nodded in understanding, taking the treasure out of the trash heap it was nestled in. They rubbed off a bit of the grime from the watch, the silver of the antique shining slightly in the dim light.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My name is Lops. Who are you?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“M-my name is Mumbo. Mumbo Jumbo”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He wasn’t alone anymore.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————————— </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The stars of the night sky shined overhead as the moon cast its shadow onto the darkened world. Camouflaged in the darkness was a lone figure hidden by a dark faded cloak with the hood up to conceal their face. As they walked on the stone plateau, they seem to be talking to the air.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “How much longer until you think we reach the city?” They asked, their words soft yet clear in the cold air. The sound of their footsteps was the only thing one would hear if they’d been walking besides the figure.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Not that much of a trek, I reckon. We have to be close by now” is the answering whisper to the person’s inquiry. This voice does not move the air as the traveler’s did, simply curling around their mind and remaining there. The figure sighed, trying to psyche themselves up for the last leg of their journey. They started walking faster, eager to get to their destination sooner rather than later so as to put this whole journey behind them.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Be careful not to hurt yourself” the whispering voice warned, making the person smile under their hood. They didn’t respond, simply slowing down a bit as they heeded the voice’s concern. They stepped over a rock they surely would’ve tripped on had they kept up the fast pace, muttering a small thank you to the voice.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The person eventually arrived at the top of a cliff. Looking down, they noticed rocks jutting out hazardously from the front. They take a few steps back, nervously pondering how to continue their voyage.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Do we really have to go this way?” They asked the bodiless voice, looking down at the ground after the cliff. They averted their gaze once vertigo started to hit them a bit too much and finally backed away to a safe distance from the edge. They rubbed at their temples to quickly get rid of the slight nausea they’d received from looking at over the cliffs edge.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I’m sorry to say we do” the voice sighed “there is no other way to go. We need to get down there.” The traveler let out a thoughtful hum in response. They took a few more steps back from the cliff’s edge, calculating the distance for a second before taking a running start. As they leapt, their eyes glowed a dark purple for a moment before fading. The person wasn’t falling anymore. In fact, they seem to be running in the air. They let out a laugh, the power going through them making them giddy. The voice in their mind let out an amused chuckle.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I don’t think I’ll quite get tired of flying like this” the figure remarked, a grin on their hidden face as they ran through the air. Stepping on nothing, they made a little twirl, barely catching themselves as they trip and letting out an excited giggle. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Understandable” the voice says good-humouredly “I used to love flying like this all the time. Some of my old friends could fly and we would sometimes play games and reach each other in the sky…” The whisperer trailed off, the sad nostalgia of memories from long ago colouring their tone. The person fell silent, letting the voice have a moment to themselves.They started descending in the sky, starting to seemingly walk down some invisible stairs. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Sorry for making you sad…” the traveler sighed as they reached the ground. They looked around at their new surroundings, seeing rolling plains and a wheat field in the distance. They started heading towards the farm land when the voice quietly replied.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “It’s fine, you didn’t mean it” they reassured, tone still sadder than the norm but better than it was before. The person nodded, understanding and yet still feeling guilty. They noted to themselves to make it up to the voice somehow. Maybe they could find some good books to read together in the city…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The cloak fluttered in the night winds as the traveler continued on their path towards the city. They looked at the sky, seeing the clouds moving in the wind and obscuring the moon. The multitude of stars glimmered down at them from between the sky covers, mirroring the ones stitched on the cloak. The figure was like a blip in space, hidden from normal view by the darkness of the universe. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They went through the wheat field as a silent shadow, only the light footsteps of the person remaining behind as a sign of their passage. The normally golden cereal plant was tinted blue in the darkness of the night, making an ethereal path to walk through. After a time, the traveler stumbled into a farmhouse. They went around the family home, making sure to stay as quiet as possible so as to not wake anyone inside.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> As they continued on, they found the farm’s barn. Animals raised their heads at the approaching unknown presence, curious yet sensing no true danger. The figure smiled slightly at the animals under their hood, going over to pet some of the cows and sheep before moving on.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Don’t forget to wash your hands later” the voice reminded as the person walked away from the barn and its animals. The person let out a sound of agreement, sighing good-naturedly. In the distance, the lights of the city started popping up, golden against the moon’s white. The shadows of tall buildings grew closer and closer with each step the traveler took.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Do you really think we’ll find them here?” The person asked, looking at the approaching buildings nervously. They’d come a long way to get to to the city, but what if they were all wrong? What if they couldn’t find what they were looking for? What if…?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I’m positive” the voice cut through the of got the person’s quickly devolving thoughts “most of them, if not all, are in that city. All we have to do is find them.” The figure nodded, letting out a shaky sigh. They shook themselves off and headed towards the city with the reassurance in mind, hoping that the voice was right. They had to be.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———————————-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The figure ran next to a highway, the sound of cackling following them closely. They dodged to the left as an explosion comes into being on their right. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You can’t run forever!” The person chasing them taunted, making the cloaked one attempt to run faster. Voices crowded their mind, all suggesting different routes. One offered to take control and escape. An other wanted to turn around and fight the pursuer. The figure continued running and dodging, weighing their options. They were running out of time.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They looked ahead to their end goal. The city. If they could reach it, they’d be able to hide and escape. If they turned around and fought, they wouldn’t have to deal with their attacker anymore, but they’d be put in much more danger than if they hid…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> With all of these thoughts running through their head, its no wonder they didn’t notice the impending explosion until it was too late. They were thrown to the side with the force of it, heat singing them even through their cloak. Their head hit the ground and everything was void.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Are you sure-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yes! For the hundredth time, yes!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Pretty sure they’re not gonna stop asking, old friend!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> An exasperated sigh resonated through the asker’s mind, accompanied by a giggle from the other whispering presence. The hoodied person shook their head in an amused manner, a grin slipping onto their face. They were met with a series of irritated muttering, obviously meant to be joking.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Darn heir, not listening to me and asking the same question over and over again…”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The heir in question let out a huff, kicking a rock on the ground. It rolled off into a ditch on the side of the highway. They continued walking on the asphalt, tuning back in to the complaining voice in their head.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “…and it’s so hot too! You should’ve brought a hat or something-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I can put my hood up”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “That’s not the point and you know it!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The person smiled and put their hood up anyways. The put-out sputtering was worth the newly made heat pocket around their head. The voice that had been steadily snickering during the other’s rant started full-out laughing.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I hate you both” was the answering deadpan, though it was obvious they were struggling not to break out into laughter with the others.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Aw, you love us, admit it!” The laughing voice cooed, making the walker snicker a bit.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I want my lawyer” the other voice replied, trying to sound unimpressed. They failed, unable to stop the small giggle afterwards. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Guys, stop, you’re making me want to laugh, I’ll fall in the ditch” the heir spoke up, gesturing to the grassy pit next to the road and yet clearly amused by the voice’s back and forth.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Why not then? It’s a nice ditch, isn’t it?” The previously laughing voice questioned, seeming to almost tilt their head. The other voice shook their head, letting out a sigh.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “We still need to find the others. I’m certain I felt a presence from at least one of them over here! Falling in a ditch won’t accomplish that!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Too bad I don’t have a driver’s licence, huh?” The person ruefully said, looking into the ditch as they walked. The stench of sewage water, garbage and rotting grass met their nose and they turned away, the smell making them scrunch up their face slightly. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You should not be trusted to drive anything” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “They should absolutely be trusted to drive something!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Let me learn to drive, sign the petition for the voice in my head to let me drive-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Ugh, fine, I get it, I’ll let you go learn to drive… but if we get arrested it wasn’t my fault”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Wouldn’t think of it!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I’ll probably follow safety road laws. Probably”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “See, this is why I don’t quite trust you with driving a car-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The light bickering and teasing continued with the person’s travel next to the highway. Several cars passed by, their speed creating a wind that buffeted the person’s hood off. Their violently dyed blue hair stood out in the light of the harsh sun, light purple horns gleaming slightly. They’d been walking for a while, from the city to the middle of nowhere. They were chasing a lead from the voice, who had before been frantic about sensing one of its friends. While the traveler wasn’t exactly hyped about getting another voice in their head, seeing as the ones they already had were rather loud sometimes, they knew they still had to try to help the unknown spirit.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> So far however, the lead seemed to have been a bust. They still hadn’t found the voices’ friend after hours of walking. They’d even been asked by some concerned drivers if they wanted a ride to the next city. They’d declined both times, but now they kind of regretted not hitchhiking… They sighed, looking to the cloudy sky hoping for one of the ‘sky sheep’ as one of the voices dubbed the clouds, to cover the sun so they could have some reprieve from the heat. The sky sheep did no such thing, to the mild irritation of the traveler. They looked back down ahead of themselves so they didn’t have to deal with the uncooperative sky.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I think I’m going to go sit a bit” they said aloud, catching the attention of the chattering voices in the back of their mind. The argument had now devolved to a conversation on what the best vehicle for the heir to drive would be. The voices were currently agreeing on a golf cart, of all things.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Sure, take your time. You gotta rest sometimes, yaknow?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Are you going to go in the ditch? I want to see!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The person huffed, giving the air a mischievous grin. They stepped off the warm asphalt of the road and looked down at the grass pit. Just as they seemed to step down into the centre of the ditch in an admittedly stupid move, they shifted to jumping across.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You know, I considered it” they remarked to the whisperers in their head, not minding the disappointed ‘awww’ too much. They sat down in the grass, watching the sun start to set. Another car passed by, temporarily obscuring the view of the steadily burning horizon.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Maybe we can wait here to let them come to us” the person off-handedly suggested, looking away from the yellowing sunlight tiredly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">——————————</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He was flying. Well, not him, but he was certainly hitching a ride with someone who could certainly fly! He looked down at the ground from his perch in the person’s hand, watching in awe at the buildings and people below.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “It’s nice up here…” he murmured, calm instead of his usual excited demeanour. He was glad to see this beautiful sight, grateful really, but… he wished he could feel the wind blowing against his skin, the breeze going through his hair and even the stinging tears as the harsh cold air hit his eyes. It was a bittersweet reminder of what he used to have. The life he lost and the lonely existence he now lived… if you could call it living.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yeah. I like to fly around sometimes up here with the other winged hybrids” the flyer replied, smiling. Another flap of the feathered wings on her back and the heir-treasure duo landed on a rooftop. The hybrid sat down on the edge, laying the golden shovel next to her. It glinted in the sun, golden with its electric blue patterns and smattering of diamonds. Never tarnished, without visible age and eternal in its beauty. The spirit inside didn’t like it.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> In the golden rays of the setting sun, the treasure and heir watched the horizon as it became a gradient of colour. The silence dragged on, comfortable, as the two of them pondered different thoughts. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The soul sighed at the sunset, lamenting at the beauty of things. His shovel was a treasure, expensive and beautiful and yet he hated it. He didn’t want to be trapped. He wanted to be able to talk to people, to show them the contraptions and farms he’d come up with. He wanted to be able to walk, to travel under his own power instead of having to rely on someone to get around. He wanted to see his friends. He hoped they were doing well, but he had no way of telling for sure…</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> As he watched the sunset, the spirit could almost feel the silent tears on his face. He just wanted to see if his friends were alright. The smell of mangoes and oranges almost seemed to tickle his nose, teasing and boisterous. The fire of life in those bright red eyes, extinguished in an instant. In the sky he could see the vague figures of sheep, bleating and prancing happily. He closed his eyes, not wanting to remember another close friend’s demise.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> He remembered a wolf running through the forest, never hostile and with a bouquet of flowers woven into its fur. The flapping of a bird’s wings not unlike those of his heir and daring to race the lupine friend. Making flower crowns together and laughing around a campfire, happy. Memories of a time long gone.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The spirit couldn’t stop the waves of grief and sadness overtaking him. He couldn’t stop the sniffles from coming out as his thoughts spiralled into darker and darker territories, hopelessness quickly overtaking him. He didn’t notice the worried look shot his way.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Hey, isn’t it weird how I found you hidden in a home depot?” The random question caught him off guard. Directing his gaze to his heir, they were looking off into the distance with an amused smile on their face, clearly remembering the previous days events. The soul stayed quiet for a moment, trying to formulate a response and regain his composure before answering.He cleared his metaphorical throat before replying.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Yeah, pretty weird. Find a shovel made of literal gold at a handy-man’s store” there was still a certain emotion to the shovel spirit’s voice even as he tried to keep it light and joking. The hybrid sitting next to him didn’t comment on it.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Literally a fucking home depot. Not even some random antique store, just, home depot!” The heir continued, a grin on their face “if they knew you were made of actual solid gold and diamonds, they never would’ve let me buy you for 9.99!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “You didn’t even buy me, you stole me” the spirit pointed out, a small smile colouring their tone. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I mean, you technically weren’t getting sold”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “I think that’s still called stealing”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Oh shush you, it was perfectly legal-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> The two of them were interrupted by someone falling out of the sky. They shared a shocked look before looking over the edge of the building. The faller was unconscious, wings disintegrating quickly, most likely having been made of magic. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “ We’ve gotta save them-” The spirit let out as his heir stood, taking the shovel in her hand. She took a few steps back, then ran over the edge of the building, wings kept close as she dived. Closer and closer to the ground the other became, to the spirit’s growing worry. He knew that the hybrid holding him was experienced with flying but they were getting rather close to becoming pancakes there.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His heir extended a hand towards the now wingless human and-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">————————— </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Yam sighed as they opened the door to the antique shop, looking around at the old objects scattered about. They went to the clothes section first and pretended to be interested in the time-worn coats and dresses. They moved on rather quickly.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> They’d been dared by their friends to find the weirdest thing in the shop and steal it. Rather simple, except there honestly wasn’t that many weird things around the shop. In fact, everything was rather boring. There were just piles of the same things. Broken lamps, rusted road signs, fake jewels of all kinds… Okay, those things did sound kind of weird, but these kinds of things were always in antique shops! Yam wanted something that would stand out, something-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Look mommy, a dolly crown! It’s so pretty!” The child’s excited voice rang in Yam’s ear, making them grimace a bit at the loudness. They tried to block out the babbling from the toddler until they heard the unexpected reply.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “Aw, luv, I’m not quite a doll’s crown but thank you anyways!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Yam turned around, looking over where the mother and little girl were looking at some dolls. On one of the doll’s heads was a small tiara, glinting in the sun brighter than anything else in the shop. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> “It’s a bit too expensive, honey. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream instead” the woman holding the child’s hand suggested, the little girl following her mother to the door of the shop with a little ‘awww’. Neither seemed to have heard the crown speak. Yam stared at them as they left, trying to comprehend what the fuck just happened. They looked back at the crown, confused. As they went through the shop, they kept an eye on the crown, waiting for it to speak again. It seemed to let out a sigh and that was it.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> Yam shook their head, deciding to just leave it be. The voice had probably been an illusion of some sort, most likely due to the child’s high-pitched voice. They searched around the shop, eventually finding a stuffed duck made into a lamp holder. They decided it was weird enough to fulfill the dare and hid it under their sash. They passed the register without a look even a look in their direction from the clerk working at the desk.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Yam left the shop with one last look at the strange tiara and as the bells on the door rang behind them, they felt like they’d made a mistake.</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Liz sighed from her seat at the register of the antique shop, bored as all hell. Things were always rather quiet at this job and it made the hours drag on and on and on… The bells above the doorway of the shop rang as a mother and her child left the store, bringing the only interesting people out of the store.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The masked shop clerk’s attention drifted to the various wares scattered about, not too impressed with any of them. It was a wonder the place brought in any customers with all of the weird stuff laying around. Seriously, who wanted to buy some dusty old pictures, cracked chinaware or a duck that got taxidermied and made into a lamp holder? The red-headed fae over in the corner of the shop seemed to want to, with the way they were looking at it. Liz hoped they would buy it or else that thing would never sell.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She shifted her gaze to look at the other customer in the building once the small person moved on from the duck lamp. The guy was an adult, seemingly in his mid-20s and definitely someone who shopped at Hot Topic with his leather jacket and dark jeans. For some reason though, Liz was getting a really bad feeling from this guy. There was something… wrong about him. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was that set her off, it was on the tip of her tongue…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She didn’t mind when the bells of the door rang again when the fae left. She couldn’t stop staring at the at the strange man walking through the store. He was taking his time, strolling through at a rather slow pace. His eyes shifted from object to object, as if he was looking for something…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">It seemed like he couldn’t find what he was looking for. He had a grimace as he left the store, leaving Liz to her lonesome. She let out a sigh of relief as a nervous tenseness released from her shoulders.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She looked at the time, grinning as she realized that her shift was almost over. She leaned back in her chair, excited to get away from the shop and the weird vibes of the day. Once she’d get home she’d maybe draw something, possibly take a bath…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Her daydreaming was then rudely interrupted by the bells of the door. She sighed and looked over to see who had entered the shop, only to see her boss. He was carrying a large set of boxes, struggling slightly with the heavy load.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Come on and help me, Lizzy!” The owner of the shop hastily beckoned, trying to peek at his employee from the side of the boxes obstructing his vision. Liz stood and took some of the boxes from the old man, carefully not cringing at the nickname.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What’s in these?” She asked as she followed her boss to the back storage room. The shop owner brushed some broken antiques off of one of the various cluttered tables in the storage room. The both of them put their respective boxes down on the cleared desk. The store’s owner took a box opener to cut away the tape keeping one of the boxes shut.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“New pieces to sell of course! Some of these are fragile, and I’d like your help sorting through them. I’m not as steady as I used to be!” The old man cheerfully explained, opening one the first box. Inside were various objects made of glass, some painted and some not. Between the objects were pieces of newspaper dating back to decades earlier.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Liz went to work removing the fragile objects. Glass figurines, wine glasses, old bottles… At the bottom she found a strange chalice, filled with blue gems and white beads. Liz looked at it in the light, curious. It was as if something was drawing her to it…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It’s quite a sight, huh?” The owner of the shop remarked, watching his employee examine the glass. Liz startled a bit, almost dropping the fragile object. She set it to the side carefully, making sure the rhinestones and beads didn’t fall out. She had to admit, the blue gems didn’t quite look all as fake as she first thought. The way that the light refracted in the gemstone didn’t seem like it should happen with a plastic recreation… There was no holes for a string with the white beads either.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’ll probably take out those rhinestones there and sell them separately” the old man noted, looking over the glass objects to make sure none of them had broken during the trip.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Woah, uh, no thanks about that! I’d like to keep my brain where it is!” The voice sounded amused, yet almost painfully nervous. Liz turned around, confused as to where the voice came from. There was no one there. She looked back to the store owner, becoming anxious herself.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Did- did you hear something?” She asked, fidgeting with her hands.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hm? No, why do you ask?” The old man replied, putting the opened box aside and opening an other one.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Just… I thought I heard something, I guess…” she sighed, ruling the strange voice as her imagination. Until it spoke again.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey, you with the mask! Can you hear me?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">—————————</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">There was a party going on in the lower floors of the mansion he was hidden in. Well, hidden wasn’t quite accurate, but it sure felt like he was tucked away from the world in a place where nobody would find him. Sitting on a dusty old shelf, surrounded by other glass figures of old… It was pretty lonely.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He sighed, listening to the music coming from the lower floors. It was all very classic, tracks he’d heard countless times in his imprisonment in the mansion. He rolled his metaphorical eyes, but still listened. It was better than getting lost in his own thoughts.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Thumping came from the lower floors, becoming louder and louder against the music. Someone was climbing the steps, and they didn’t sound very happy. The door to the room the spirit was in was blow open, almost smashing in pieces against the wall. The one who’d almost broken the entrance to the room was fuming. They stomped over to the window, opening it in a rage.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Well someone’s angry” the ghost remarked from his position on the shelf, raising a mental eyebrow. He didn’t expect it when the person snapped to look over in his direction, eyes narrowed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Who’s there? I’m not in the mood for false sympathies” they let out, eyes raking the room, trying to find whoever spoke.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait, you can hear me?!” The soul blurted out, watching the person. Their eyes quickly went back to where he was situated.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Uh, yeah? Am I not supposed to?” They approached the shelf where the spirit was situated, trying to see if there was a hidden door or compartment where the voice’s owner was hidden. They moved the glass figurines and put them on an old coffee table. They paused at the spirit’s bird figurine before putting it with the others. Then, they started taking down the soul’s previous perch.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You won’t find me there” the ghost piped up, watching from his vantage point as the person knocked on the back of the wall, trying to listen for a hollow space. They pulled back and turned around, surprised that the voice’s location had moved.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What the…? Where are you? Show yourself!” The looked around the room, trying to find where the voice’s owner had gone.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You already saw me though! I’m not really hiding!” The ghost grinned as the searcher laid eyes on the collection of glass figurines that had previously been sitting on the shelf they’d taken down. They approached, frowning slightly.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yeah, see! I’m the bird! Prettier than all of these other old things I’m telling you-”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s not possible”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What’s not possible?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“A talking glass figurine. That shouldn’t be a thing, that’s impossible…” The person picked up the glass bird, cradling it gently in their hand as they stared at it in confusion.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I assure you, it is possible! See, I’m like a ghost-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Ghosts don’t exist”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wha- yes they do! I’m one! Kind of!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Pretty sure you’re just a voice created by my imagination to get me to let off some steam about what happened downstairs” The previously livid person rolled their eyes and set the glass figurine down.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Ok, fine, let’s go with that then! What happened downstairs?” The spirit was not going to let the only person that could hear him talk just leave. If being a make-shift therapist was what it would take, then so be it.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“M’kay, so imagine this right? You’re a rising inventor in the scientific community and you get an offer that could set you for life. You go discuss the terms of the contract, only to find out that if you sign it, all of the money you make will go to the contractor. Then an other plot twist; if you don’t sign the contract, then you’ll never get listened to seriously ever again because of a mass smear campaign ready to go at any moment” the apparent inventor ranted, gestures frantic and their tone barely restraining their anger.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“…and then, it gets even worse when you’re being told all of this at a party with all of the most prominent figures of the scientific community and you can’t freak out and yell at the person bullshitting you or else you’ll cause a scene! And it’s even worse again because I never wanted to go the stupid party anyways because I hate crowds, and…” the person let out a rough sigh and put a hand to pinch at the top of their nose irritably.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wow… that’s kind of a lot” the ghost dropped, mulling over the former party-goer's words in their mind “So what were you doing with the window?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I was going to climb down the sides of the building. I can’t leave through the front door unless I’ve said that I would agree or disagree on the contract. They didn’t say anything about sneaking out though” the person walked over to the window, looking down at the walls of the building.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You’ll fall though!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“maybe I will, maybe I won’t”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I have a better idea. Let me help!” The inventor raised a sceptical eyebrow.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What is a glass figurine of a bird speaking through my imagination going to be able to do?” They asked, crossing their arms sceptically.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If we work together, I can give you wings! You’ll be able to fly out of here!” The ghost ignored the doubt coming from the scoffing tinkerer, too excited at the prospect of flying again.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“M’kay, I’ll entertain this, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be very imaginary” they drawled, picking up the glass figure “So how do we do this?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Close your eyes and think of the muscles on your back, how they are now. Then, think of adding extensions to the muscles, lighter than air and drifting on sunlight…” the ghost softly explained to the doubting listener, giving some of his magic as he helped the other visualize the wings. He would’ve clapped in glee if he could’ve when the golden wings started appearing on the previously sceptical inventor’s back.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Why’d you stop?” The person asked, frowning as they opened their eyes. They looked to the silent figurine, then behind them. They let out a yelp seeing the wings on their back.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It worked… It worked! You’re my heir! Oh this is so great-” the spirit rambled, not caring about almost getting dropped <em>because he had an heir-</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“This seems a lot less imaginary than I thought it would” the shocked inventor dropped, bringing a hand to the wing. They could feel the feathers was they glided their fingers through the soft downy…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Now you can fly! Let’s go!” The spirit excitedly said, looking to the open window. The heir complied to the glass bird’s wishes, silent in their awe and confusion. With a flap of their wings, they ascended to the darkening sky.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">———————————</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“There have been reports of a massive wolf making its way to the city! It’s travelling along the highway and seems to-” the reporter’s voice cut out as the tv was turned off. The room was completely silent.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Are you sure it’s him?” A quiet voice asked. The only response to the inquiry is a small nod.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What do we do then? We have to-” a frustrated tone coloured the other person’s question, only to be interrupted.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Everything will go as planned. This is just a small hiccup.” The head figure firmly said. The television screen was rolled out of the room by an assistant. Muttering broke out among the gathering.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If he’s actually him, then we’ll be able to talk to him” a voice piped up, a smile in their voice. The gathered people turned to see who had spoken. An enigmatic grin greeted them all.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“After all, this is a business of heirs and spirits, is it not?” They said as they stood from their seat. With a flourish, they were gone from the meeting, off to deal with this apparent problem.</p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">His eyes fluttered open as he lifted his head with a groan, putting a hand up to rub at the soreness. When he pulled away, his hand was covered in a thick red liquid. Blood. With spotty vision he looked around at his surroundings finding that he was next to an overturned car. It was probably what he, or rather his heir, had hit their head on…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Uh, hey you hit your head pretty hard, like, what the hell right? Uh, you’re bleeding alot, uh, right, gotta check for a concussion…” the rambling voice came into focus, his previously compromised hearing coming back. He let out a low warning growl, turning to look at whoever disturbed him. Through his blurry vision, he could see a blob of bright blue and green. It wasn’t whoever had been making things explode around his heir. He remembered they’d been wearing red…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Ok, uh, follow my finger, if you can that is” the mystery person had crouched next to him and put a finger. For a few seconds, he did follow the finger, until he remembered what he was controlling this body for. He swatted the finger away, grumbling a bit. He sat up, wincing at the pain in his head.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“H-hey, you shouldn’t get up yet-” the person tried to push him down but he waved them away. He stood, swaying slightly but caught himself before he could fall. He blinked a few times and his eyesight seemed to become clear.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I really think you should sit down, like, your eyes look really weird right now and-” he sighed at the person’s concern. It was justified, but currently useless because he had to get somewhere safe and far away from the maniac with bombs that was attacking his heir previously. Even if he couldn’t see them didn’t mean they weren’t hiding somewhere, waiting for an opening to attack again. He looked down the length of the highway and saw the city in the distance. He grinned as he noticed that it was rather close now and that they were thus closer to their ultimate goal than ever before.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He started walking towards the tall buildings going faster and faster until he was at a full-on sprint. As he ran, fur started growing on his skin, long and thick. Bones started shifting and cracking, changing place without hindering the transforming sprinter. Soon, he was running on four legs with a long fluffy tail swaying behind him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He let out a howl, the transformation to a wolf complete. He ran towards the distant city, only one current goal in mind; to find somewhere safe for his heir. He leaped over cars as they got in his way, not minding the awed stares he gathered. Discretion was not his concern at the moment. That is, until he realized the true scope of the attention he gathered once a news helicopter started tailing him. He could just barely hear the reporter over the whirling blades of the aircraft.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He shifted to running through the farm fields instead of the exposed highway’s road. While his large form was not easily concealed, he did manage in the end to lose the helicopter and its cameras. He whined a bit under his breath, knowing that the other object-bound spirits wouldn’t be too happy with him when he could hear them again.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He passed by a sign delimiting the city and gave a wolfish grin as he approached his destination. He passed by some residential homes, making sure to stay in the shadows instead of recklessly going out into the open again. As he went deeper and deeper into the city, he slipped into the winding maze of dark alleys and the spaces between buildings. He soon got hopelessly lost. As he wandered the back streets, he eventually made his way to an old abandoned building, most likely used by the homeless for shelter with the way blankets and a fire pit were scattered about. Seeing as no one was currently in the room, he padded over to a blanket and laid down on it.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">An other transformation took place, this time from wolf to humanoid. The ghost possessing the heir drew back, letting the sleeping heir to wake up on their own.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">———————————</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Being a magnifying glass was certainly interesting. The treasure had travelled around quite a bit, having been used by many wealthy scientists and jewellers to take a closer look at small objects and the like. Sometimes metals and gems glinted with a brighter light than usual under the glass, but it was often explained away as nothing but an illusion of the light. None of those people could truly see what he could see of the minerals of the earth, nor could they hear his crying plead for company.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He remembered when his heirs became prospectors. He’d bantered back and forth with all of them as they searched the land for minerals and gems together. The family got wealthy and grand, powerful and rich beyond belief. Until it wasn’t. It started when one of his descendants couldn’t hear him. After that, his family dwindled into debt as they couldn’t use the magnifying glass’ power to find more minerals to mine. He was passed along as a heirloom and could only watch as his descendants suffered. He cried and sobbed for them, with them only as a spirit. He couldn’t do anything to help them, trapped as he was in his prison of objectified wealth.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He was soon after sold off and never heard of his family again. They’d faded away in the background of poverty. It still pained him that his descendants had been offed so cruelly by fate in such an ironic manner.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He’d been found by new heirs now and again. One time he’d been inherited by the niece of an old scientist, while an other heir had been a servant and stole him away from his owner. It always depended on circumstance whether he was found by a heir or not, but it was always like a balm on the poor soul’s mental welfare when he had someone to talk to for a little while.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">With time, however, he travelled away from hands that were less interested in science and furthering the world. He fell into hands that wanted nothing but to hold great wealth and power and to wield. Then he switched hands again to those who had neither of those wants or needs of science and power. Lower and lower on the social ladder he went, until he suddenly stopped. He was officially at the rock bottom of society.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">These people were those of the streets. Those who’d been forgotten, thrown out, or had given everything away. Others were incompetent and fired too many times to be hired again, like the jeweller who had declared that his silver and emeralds were fake. He wanted to tell them off and correct them that he was made of true materials excuse you- but he couldn’t. Just as he couldn’t give advice to those who owned his treasure about their problems and inquiries. He had so many things to say, yet he couldn’t be heard. He knew he was quite soft-spoken, but this was another level of unheard.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He drifted along the line of successors, whether by being stolen, sold or given. He arrived at the hands of a more tech savvy person. They already had a large collection of other similar objects, false baubles that shined with gold paint and fake gems.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The latest owner of the magnifying glass had a trade set up on the internet, and that was how he changed hands once more. After a few quiet months, he was placed in a box with way too little protective packaging for his liking and sent into the mail system. He was transported around in what he assumed were trucks what with the way that the ground kept rumbling.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The truck he was currently in stopped. He could hear the rustling of paper and moving boxes as one of the workers searched for one of the packages. Then, his box was picked up. The worker carried the cardboard container, then seemed to trip on something and the box fell.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Holy- oh godammit” he heard the worker grumble. He wasn’t too happy about being dropped however. He was a magnifying glass! He could’ve easily gotten broken, especially with the shoddy packaging! He mentally shuddered at the implications of what his glass shattering could have entailed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“H-hey, maybe you should be more careful sometimes!” He spoke up, knowing that the worker probably wouldn’t hear him. Still, he had to say something, even if it was to himself.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The worker seemed to have paused. They were totally silent. After a few minutes, they finally spoke up.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It looks like the postal service has taken over my life. I’m hearing packages talk now. Godammit FedEx corporation but also bless you” the voice was a monotone drawl, almost robotic. The box the treasure was contained in was picked up once more, though noticeably damaged from the way the cardboard was bent.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You can hear me?” He couldn’t quite believe it. Was this really a heir…?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I guess so. Maybe I should do something about my apparent psychosis now…” the box shifted up and down, in a manner indicating a shrug “…but I‘m pretty sure I might’ve gone crazy a while ago anyways.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You can really hear me! I’ve waited so long for this! Please, take me out of the box!” He excitedly murmured, a grin to his words. The worker paused again, sighed and opened the damaged box. Finally, the treasure wasn’t in the dark anymore.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m Keralis! Who are you?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">———————————-</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The well-dressed lady sighed to herself after leaving the room full of people that were way too concerned. Sure, the government and probably most of the world now knew about what was most likely a real life goddamn werewolf, but they could still salvage this! Hopefully!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">As she walked she turned around a corner, going for the exit so as to head out and deal with the problem, when she was stopped by someone.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Are you sure you’ll be able to fix this?” The tone was amused, yet with an underlying concern that it seems that the person couldn’t quite keep out of their voice. She turned towards them, flashing a confident smile.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Sure! If anyone can get this under control it’s-”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You, yeah, I know” the greyscale person sighed, grinning exasperatedly. They bade her good luck before leaving her be. She grinned and shook her head, knowing that her friend’s worry was justified, but finding it amusing nonetheless. After all, it wasn’t her fault that the Helseekers thought she was a good target!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You should probably get going now” a voice in her mind piped up, female in nature. The heir sighed and nodded, heading to the exit of the building.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I know, you don’t have to remind me. You’re not my mom” She joked, pushing the doors open and stepping out onto the darkened streets of the night. She adjusted her suit for a second before walking off.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No, I do think she does” an other voice sarcastically drawled, a grin in his southern twang. The heir scoffed dramatically in response and drawing a passerby’s gaze. She grinned at them as they walked by, as if nothing remotely strange was happening. The pedestrian quickened their pace and hurried away.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The heir and her spirits bantered as she walked down the streets of the sleeping city, searching for a wolf.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">————————————-</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A winged hybrid opened the door of her mountainside home, looking over the side of the cliff it was situated on. With a flap of her wings, she was aloft in the air. The air went through her long hair, brushing strands away from her face softly. She would have smiled, were it not for the screaming voice in her head.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I want to go back to the house! The rustic house! The best house!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">An other voice sighed in her mind, obviously just as tired as her at the tantrum the rustic house inclined one was throwing. The cracked glass house in her pocket seemed heavier than usual with the weight of the angry petulant spirit.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’ll come back eventually, don’t worry about it…” she sighed for the umpteenth time.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Don’t want later, want now!” The whining voice replied, a pout in his words. The winged heir rolled her eyes, unimpressed by his persistence. She shifted her focus to the horizon, opting to ignore the voice for now and let him tire himself out. In the distance was a city, her destination. While she lived out here in the mountain, she still had to go shop for things now and again that she couldn’t just order online. This was one of those occasions.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Not much conversation was made in her mind as she flew over the side of the mountain, the forest canopy concealing the ground below.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">That is, until arrows shot from the ground up into the air. The flyer let out a cry of surprise, flapping her wings frantically and stopping her momentum as the projectiles passed in front of her. More arrows soon shot towards her and she moved to dodge them, twisting in the air and snapping her wings open.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">She looked at the trees, trying to find whoever was shooting at her as she flew around in circles above the tree line. An arrow grazed her wing making her wince and she changed tactics. She didn’t have to find whoever was attacking right now if her safety was in danger. She circled the top of the trees once more before beating her wings against the air and propelling towards the city. The arrows followed closely, giving her light cuts and scratches.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Was that your wisdom right then?” She muttered under her breath as she dodged an other arrow. She received a hum of confirmation from the older sounding voice. She grinned and looked at the silver ring she wore on her hand before shifting her gaze back to her target; the city.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The sun setting behind it made a wonderful scene, and she would have to remember to paint it at some point when she wasn’t flying for what she assumed was her life. Arrows are deadly, after all. As she flew further and further, the forest started to thin out and the arrows came less and less. When she landed in some suburbs, the arrows had completely stopped.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Well, I guess we’re safe for now-“ she was interrupted by a flurry of arrows firing at her from everywhere. She ducked and quickly put a hand in her pocket. Her fingers touched the glass house and suddenly there were walls and a roof made of wood and stone surrounding her. The thunk of the arrows landing into the wood was heavy against her ears.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Rustic houses save lives, see! Rustic houses are the best houses!” The voice that had previously been throwing a tantrum giggled happily at the construction of his preferred house. Though it was slightly lopsided, it still held well against the onslaught of arrows.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So what do we do now?”</p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">The glass bird clutched in their hand had gone strangely silent after they’d started flying away from the mansion where they’d found it. They flew over the outskirts of the city, the divide between private land and the suburbs crossed easily. The wing motions came naturally to them, almost as if they aways knew how to fly…</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“I’d kinda forgotten what it was like, to be above the ground like this… With the freedom to go anywhere and do anything…” the bird spoke up, his voice nostalgic and touched with a sad yearning. Glancing at the small bird, it almost seemed as if the gold paint on it was somehow dimmer. They looked back forwards, to the buildings and skyscrapers ahead. They had to wonder how long the bird had been trapped in that mansion, left to collect dust and cobwebs…</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Well, hey, this is better than nothing, right?” They remarked, an awkward lilt to their voice. They weren’t very good at talking to other people, much less actually comforting, but they could try. It felt wrong not attempt to help the bird feel at least a little better.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah…” The avian sighed before continuing, a brighter tone in his speech now “After all, I don’t always get this chance! And you thought I was a just a voice in your head, hah!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“I mean, well-” they sputtered, trying to come up with an answer “Objects usually don’t start talking out of nowhere!” The bird’s spirit laughed, making the heir groan in embarrassment and annoyance. Distracted as they were, they didn’t notice the other flyer passing through.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">The two collided, the both of them flailing in the air before righting themselves. The heir had almost dropped the bird, though thankfully their grip had been enough to make sure that the bird did not go into an unimpeded free fall. They gulped as they wondered what would’ve happened to their wings had the bird slipped out of their hands.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They shook their head and looked up to see who they had bumped into. The person had sky blue hair, large dark feathered wings and a rather disgruntled expression on her face.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“You should probably watch where you’re going next time. You’re on the wrong flight road.” she cautioned, crossing her arms a little sternly.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“O-oh, uh, yeah, I didn’t notice…” the heir replied, not really knowing what the flight roads actually were. Sure, they’d heard of them, everyone had. They were the metaphorical roads above towns and cities that those who could fly took in order to avoid cars and the associated traffic. Of course, the flight roads weren’t mapped out so how were they to know that they were on the wrong road?!</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“It’s fine. Just be careful next time!” The woman smiled as she saw that the inexperienced flyer understood. She strayed from their hovering and headed off on the invisible road. The heir sighed, looking around at the city’s airspace. They didn’t know where the paths were and weren’t too keen on bumping into someone again. The next person might not be so helpful…</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Flight roads huh? I can help with that!” The bird’s spirit piped up cheerfully, taking the heir by slight surprise. They righted themselves in the air, wings untensing from their startled state.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“What can you do?” They asked, sceptical. First the bird had given them flight in the form of wings, so what else did the ghost have in store? Surely he couldn’t show them the flight roads…?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Just close your eyes! My magic will do the rest!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Are you sure? It won’t make the wings disappear, will it?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Nope!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">The heir was still concerned, but did as they were told. They’d trusted the bird so far after all. In the darkness behind their eyelids, they started to see small lights. The lights became bigger and longer, stretching to become lines.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Ok, you can open your eyes now! You should be able to see all of the-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“The flight roads…” the heir finished, eyes opening. Before them was a golden line made of the setting sun’s rays. The line curved and turned amongst a multitude of others, a map standing in front of the heir in the sky.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They flapped their wings and followed the glowing line in front of them. Beneath them, buildings grew taller and taller as the flight roads ascended. The setting sun’s light glinted on the countless windows, almost blinding. They looked away, blinking away dark spots in their vision. Above the city were a lot more flyers than in the rural areas. They all followed the paths at their own pace, all organized and familiar.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“So, what’s your name?” Their travel had been rather quiet after the bird helped them see the flight roads. They jumped slightly at the inquiry before settling down. With an other flap of their wings they went further through the sky as they registered the question.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Oh, um, my name’s Fairy. Its… rather fantastical I know, but-” they replied, about to stammer on how their name was too magical for their scientific interests only to be interrupted.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“That’s a nice name! I’m Grian! Nice to officially meet you!” The spirit chirped, a smile to his voice. The scientist stayed silent, the soul’s cheer making them smile a bit.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah, you too…” they let out a yawn, blinking and frowning. They didn’t remember being this tired. They could feel a sluggishness in their limbs, dragging them down. They yawned again, eyes drooping.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Hey, um, you might want to land on one of the buildings there? You seem really tired there.” The bird spoke up, sounding concerned. Fairy slowly nodded after a small while of silence. They started beating their wings to get lower and lower towards a building. They were so tired though. Surely resting their eyes for a second wouldn’t hurt…?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They didn’t realize they were falling until someone started frantically yelling at them to wake up. They tried to blink their eyes open to no avail. The lulling pull of unconsciousness was too hard to resist.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">—————————-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Well, that was weird-”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“It was them, I was right! We need to go after them, let’s go come on-”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“We have to go after them! Onwards heir steed!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They watched the wolf run away towards the distance on the highway. They’d been waiting next to the highway, taking a break when the sun had finally set. They’d gotten up to continue their hike when they heard explosions. They’d look down the highway, trying to see what was happening, when someone was propelled right into a car. They’d tried to go help them, when the voices in their head started crying out to the injured person.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Oh my god, it’s you! Oh geez, ahh-”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Guys! It’s us! Y-yeah, it’s me… I- both of you are?- Oh my god, we only need- and then-”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They ignored the voices as they tried to check over the person. The let out a relieved sigh when the other opened their eyes. The heir held up their finger and watched if the person’s eyes followed well, only to suddenly be pushed away. They tried to get the injured to sit back down again, seeing as someone who just hit their head should not be walking around as if nothing happened, only for the person to stand up anyways.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Bright, baby blue eyes were the first thing the helper noticed. The pupils were constricted to small blurry points, almost animal-like. What would have been normal on a wolf or dog hybrid was displayed on an ender hybrid.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">The other looked away, breaking the chain of thoughts going through the heir’s mind. They tried to caution the hurt person to sit back down only to be ignored as the other turned into a wolf. Like an actual werewolf. What the fuck.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They were left standing there in the dust hit them, dug up by the beast’s paws. They sighed, tuning back into the voices.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Alright then, let’s go” they said, working themselves up. They got into a sprinting pose and took off the rose pin, clutching it in their hand. They readied themselves and with a small tense were off running. After a few seconds of sprinting, there was a sudden trick of the light and there was another version of the heir running in front of them. They tossed the rose pin at the new version and the original vanished away. Then, it happened again, and again.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Operation Speedy Duplication! Whoo!” The pin’s voice cheered, laughing excitedly “Not the best way to get around, but definitely faster than just running! Let’s see if we can get to them, maybe once everything calms down we can hold like, races and stuff! I learned a few betting tricks from my mafia days so if we start betting-”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“You’re getting kinda ahead of yourself.” the heir huffed, tossing the pin again. The new heir caught it and continued “I don’t run that fast, we probably won’t catch up to them.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Well, we can still try! It’s… It’s better than not trying at all… Come on!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">The heir nodded, falling silent. As the cycle of running and throwing continued, they approached the city. They’d lost sight of the wolf when it had entered some farm fields, but it was a pretty good guess to say that it had most likely been going to the city. At some point, they’d seen the news helicopter trailing the beast fly overhead, and assumed that they’d also lost the beast. They stayed out of its cameras by concealing themselves in the ditches and fields next to the highway.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">They eventually arrived at the city. They took a break as they leaned on an olden brick wall, catching their breath. They scanned the crowd, finding no sign of the ender hybrid or the werewolf. They pushed off of their support, walking off into the throng of people.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Alright then lads, we have a wolf to find”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">————————-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“What’s happening here, boys?” The voice rang out around the empty space, a call of confidence and smugness. Heads turned to look at the lone figure standing in the middle of the encircled area wherein a tilted house stood. Shocking green hair under a pair of goggles, dark purple patches of skin and a waistcoat met the eyes of the perimeter.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Get lost, this isn’t any of your business!” One of the people approached the person, brash and irritated. The intruder simply tilted his head, amused.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Actually, I do think this is my business! See, I’ve got a lil’ voice in my head, and he’s pretty much telling me that you’re all assholes!” The trespasser grinned at the ambassador of those gathered around the house, a glint in his mismatched eyes “And say, I’ve been itching for a good fight these days. Let’s see if you measure up.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Bright green claws slashed and a surprised scream rang out. Bows were trained on the attacker, who was simply grinning at the blood now coating his deep purple hand and its talons.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Sh-shoot him!” The injured coward ordered, holding his bleeding cheek as he pointed at the ender hybrid. Arrows flew through the air, when the grinning maniac uttered a phrase.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Hey, Tango? My wish of the day is this: arrows can’t touch dis” as he uttered the order, a golden glow came from the satchel he was carrying before suddenly snuffing out. The arrows that had previously been going for him froze in the air. They all clattered to the floor after a few seconds of suspension. The entourage seemed to collectively panic as more arrows were fired only to be stopped by the mysterious force once more.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Now then, let’s have some fun!” The intruder cackled, a leg kicking out at the downed bowman. A crack resounded through the space as the latter was rendered unconscious. The outsider stood there for a second, still as a statue, before sprinting towards the perimeter of archers.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“You know, the definition of insanity is trying something again and again and then expecting a different result!” The ender remarked, gleefully coming up to the panicked gathering without a single scratch from any of the fired arrows. The attackers tried to scatter, only for their hunter to teleport in front of them. One by one, they fell. Either from a punch to the temple, a claw to the throat or a kick to the stomach. All the while, the ender hybrid gave off unsettling cackles and quips.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“R-retreat!” One of the still conscious leaders of the hunted group called out, running off into an alley tucked between a few houses. Those still able to move under their own power quickly followed suit, scurrying to hide from the madman attacking them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">Once they were all gone, leaving their injured brethren behind, the teleporting fiend finally started to calm. He let out a breath, rolling his sore wrist and cracking the aching digits on his clawed hand. He turned towards the dilapidated building in the middle, pausing for a moment, before approaching it. Footsteps of blood trailed behind him until he came to the door. He grinned, knocking on the wooden slats of the entrance. He was a gentleman, after all. The door cracked open, revealing two light brown eyes peeking out.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">“Hey there! Are you an heir because I’m gonna have to kidnap you now.”</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">“So basically you’re a magic magnifying glass, and you were coincidentally in my truck, in that package that I dropped and this is all because of fate?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Umm, yes!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“…You do know this all sounds like bullshit right?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Also yes!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“…and you expect me to believe all of this?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hopefully! I mean, I wouldn’t make you, but yes!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The more tangible of the speakers sighed, shaking their head. The robotic lilt of their voice wasn’t enough to conceal the scepticism in it. They held up a silver magnifying glass by the gold-threaded handle, looking at it from behind their dark blue mask. For a few seconds, they admired the sapphires and emeralds studded in the band of silver that went around the glass. The way the gems glittered in the sunlight was enough to tell of their authenticity. They focused back on the lens, assuming that was where the magnifying glass could see from. The pink ‘X’ on the mask served as their eyes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“This isn’t exactly very believable though, uh, Keralis” they pointed out, the voice changer altering their voice to a more metallic tone. The treasure’s voice kept silent for a time, as if mulling over his words before he spoke again, more subdued now.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I know that I can’t really make you believe me, but… please, I don’t want to be lonely again…” the alleged spirit spoke in a barely audible whisper, making the one holding the possessed object strain to actually hear him. They frowned under their mask. They watched the magnifying glass, the treasure grasped in their hand. He had sounded close to tears. Their mind debated within itself over the plausibility of the voice being real. They had been planning on putting the object back in the box and delivering the package but… Could they really do that now? After a few minutes of thinking, they finally groaned.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Uuugh, fine. I’ll believe you… for now.” They said with a sigh. They could feel the smile in the magnifying glasses’ voice when he replied with a small ‘Thank you’. They grumbled a response before heading back to their delivery truck. Standing out amongst the suburban cars was a vehicle with the classic package-delivering truck design and its usual coat of white paint under the emblazoned logo of the company. The logo of this truck was the purple and orange word ‘FedEx’</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey, isn’t that your name though? You have the name of a company?!” Keralis exclaimed with a gasp. The masked human shrugged, holding up the magnifying glass so that the spirit inside could see the truck better.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It’s not my actual name, more of a nickname really… I wasn’t actually going to give you my real name. And I do work at the FedEx company anyways, so it fits.” They explained, going around the front of the truck. They opened the door to the driver’s and sat down, placing the magnifying glass in the passenger seat. The delivery person paused for a few seconds before fastening the seatbelt over the looking glass.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wh- but I gave you my name! Why won’t you give me yours…?” The ghost sounded sad again, like a lost puppy. FedEx deadpanned at it through their mask.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I said I believed you, not that I trusted you. This isn’t exactly a common situation, you know?” They retorted. The driver looked to the rear view mirror, adjusted it slightly and started backing up the truck. After a few minutes of beeping backwards motion, the truck stopped for a few seconds until it started moving forwards.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What isn’t there to trust? I’m usually so loveable!” Keralis complained with an audible pout. FedEx raised an eyebrow, quickly glancing at the possessed object before looking back at the road.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I mean, you’re a random object, who looks very expensive, mind you, and that just sort of started talking to me. What about that is trustworthy?” They asked, slowing the truck down due to a red traffic light “honestly, I don’t see much, so excuse me if I’m a little suspicious.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Ok, maaaybe you’re right. Can I still have your name though? Pretty please with a beautiful red cherry on top?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Pleeeease?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I said no”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The truck started moving again as the traffic light switched to green.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“b-but I thought we were friends!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What? When did we become friends?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Aha! So you admit we’re friends!” The grin was palpable in the magnifying glass’ voice. FedEx groaned, recognizing their mistake. The ghostly object simply giggled in response.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">———————————</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">With an annoyed growl, a twin slammed the front door of his brother’s house behind him. Adjusting his signature brown cowboy hat, his hand idly catching on the silver thread going around the top of the brim. He headed down the street, grumbling all the way.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I can’t believe him… He’s so entitled… What a piece of shit…”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You’re totally right! He’s wrong and he shouldn’t have been so mean to you… He had no right!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The angered brother wasn’t alone. He never truly was, with the way he always had his hat with him. His only friend. His lips quirked up slightly, relieved that he wasn’t alone in this line of thought. He quickly frowned again however, thinking back to the interaction between himself and his brother. His brother had been spouting some bullshit about being worried for him. Hah, as if! His brother had just wanted his help with something, that was the only explanation as to why he’d so blatantly lie to him! Sure, his brother was the successful one but he was still… weak. Too nice. Too naive. Despite his extensive media following, Dan was still dumber than a rock. It infuriated the less successful twin. His hat friend always helped pointing out all the little things that made him so mad.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Maybe that’s why he was angry all the time. Because of his stupid brother. Ruining stuff for him at every opportunity…</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Lost in thought, the heir didn’t pay any attention to where he was going. He didn’t notice when he arrived at the usual place he went to when he was mad. He only snapped out of it when someone bumped into him when exiting the building. The heir looked up to see the sign above the entrance. ‘Jon’s Bar’ it read. He pushed the door open and entered, a grin now on his face.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Inside the building was a lit-up interior, warm and inviting. The heir rolled his eyes and went immediately to the bartender’s counter. He’d been here many times, and the barista knew him. The heir placed down a few paper bills. The man behind the counter nodded at the young man and gestured to the back door. Ignoring the strange looks sent his way, the heir walked to the door. Sure, he knew he looked too young to be at a bar, but he wasn’t here to drink. He opened the door, his previous neutral expression quickly becoming frightening. The room behind the door was large and crowded with people. As he wove through the throng, he noticed the usual features of the dimly lit room. Sound-cancelling paneling ran all around the walls, keeping the activities happening here a secret. The floor was littered with scuff marks and some spots had dark stains. The young man eventually got to the front of the crowd. People parted like the red sea and moved away from him as recognition filled their eyes. The fear he saw from the crowd made him smirk.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">In the middle of the room were two people in an empty space. They were fighting, the crowd egging them on and betting on their favourite fighter. The two played dirty, each aiming to incapacitate their rival as much as possible by playing dirty and never holding back. The heir waited for the fight to be over before getting the announcer’s attention. He grinned as they announced his presence. He couldn’t wait to get started.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And here approaches our reigning champion! 20 whole times in a row has he gone undefeated, but will there be a new champion tonight? You’ll have to fight him to find out folks!” The blue-haired host called out as the centre of the room was cleared from the last fight.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The champion entered the stage, looking around at the gazes of the audience. He saw fear, concern, but most importantly, he saw challengers. His grin widened as he taunted the crowd. He needed to relieve some stress, so why not beat someone up? The hat on his head cackled, excited as well. This made the heir laugh in excitement as the first fighter approached. This was going to be fun.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">———————————</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Lops had been having a bad feeling all morning. He didn’t know where it had come from, or what had caused it. When he’d asked the spirits trapped in the objects he owned, they said that they didn’t have a clue what it might be. With a sigh, he set about his routine as normal.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He took out the cable connected to him, wrapping it up and placing it down next to his charger. He was already dressed in his pristine white suit, having not taken it off from the day before. And the day before that. To be honest, he never took it off. He didn’t get why people asked why he always wore the same clothes. Some people had said that the suit would become all ‘sweaty and gross’ when he inquired what they meant. Well, his clothes never got sweaty, and he always made sure to never dirty them when he went out. He didn’t understand the strange looks people sent him. It wasn’t that weird to never change clothes, right? Right!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Lops hummed a small metallic tune under his breath as he opened the front door to his apartment, getting the daily newspaper. Picking up the rolled-up paper, he closed the door to his apartment behind him and set off to his work. On the way down the stairs he waved at other occupants that he knew and introduced himself to some newer tenants. New meetings were always confusing though. Why did everyone seem to think he was a robot? He was a human just like them! However, no matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to change people’s minds very easily. He shook his head as he opened the front door to leave the building. He wasn’t the weird one! They were!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You know… they might be right! You may be a robot!” The pocket watch’s spirit piped up. The watch itself was situated, fittingly, in a pocket of Lops’ jacket.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Of course I’m not a robot! I’m human! I might be more high-maintenance than other people, but that doesn’t mean I’m a robot!” Lops huffed, his larger-than-normal eyes frowning as the tone from the speakers on the sides of his neck turned annoyed “Why does everyone seem to think I’m a robot! It’s getting quite old you know!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Not everyone thinks that though!” A new voice piped up, their accent distinct against the chatter of the people walking on the sidewalk next to Lops. The one who’d spoken was a jade monocle situated inside of the ‘high-maintenance’ human’s jacket, attached there with a silver chain. The spirit’s voice was a comforting sound for Lops seeing as he’d been acquainted with this ghostly object a good deal longer than with the pocket watch. He took out the monocle and if he had a mouth, he would’ve smiled at it.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thanks Iskall” the heir said, holding the monocle in the palm of his hand, fingers slightly curled around it. This was the pair’s version of a hug, seeing as they couldn’t actually engage in that kind of physical contact. It was the thought that counted though. At least, that’s what Lops liked to think.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s right! You’re not a robot! You’re just a little friend-shaped! Isn’t that right Mumbo?” Iskall continued, a hidden warning in his voice as he addressed the spirit of the pocket watch.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“U-uh, yes, you’re right, you really are a human and not, um, a robot…” Mumbo stammered, his stutter going unnoticed by Lops. The heir simply beamed, a little bit happier as he walked down the sidewalk. At some point he opened up his newspaper and started to read it, losing a little bit of focus on his surroundings. He didn’t notice the arguing whispers in the back of his mind.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Iskall, why are you-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Mumbo Jumbolio. This is our heir. We can’t make him upset, he’d be so bummed out if he knew! Let’s just… be supportive! Like, uh, campaign managers! Or something!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s a rather strange analogy…”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Lops put the jade monocle back in his jacket as he closed the newspaper, folding the paper and putting it in a nearby recycling can. He continued to walk, the earlier feeling of unease growing bigger and bigger. He looked over his shoulder trying to see what was giving him this dark feeling of dread. He looked back forwards, seeing nothing behind his back. He continued down the sidewalk, unable to do anything about the increasingly pressing feeling. The heir arrived to a crosswalk, the street empty of vehicles.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Right as he was about to cross the street however, his mind screamed at him to back away. Reeling, he stumbled back, right in time for a speedway truck to barely miss hitting him. Slightly dazed, he followed the truck with his gaze, seeing its white exterior. Suddenly, several black cars whizzed past. Lops’ discomfort slightly dissipated, yet was replaced by a different kind of unease. He felt as if he should follow the truck that had almost hit him… but why? He looked back across the street. His work was right there… He looked back to the white truck as it turned a corner, followed by some of the chasing cars.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Lops sighed, knowing that his curiosity and unease wouldn’t let him go to work as if nothing had happened. He started running down the sidewalk after the speeding vehicles and hoped this wouldn’t get him in too much trouble at work.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">———————————</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">With a small groan, they opened their eyes. They started as they saw the unfamiliar environment around them, sitting up quickly and looking around. They were in a decrepit room with holes in the broken down walls. Above them, the ceiling seemed mostly intact though there were paler patches where someone had obviously tried to fix up some cracks. The venture to seal up these leaks had obviously failed with the way several water buckets were scattered on the floor, primed and ready to catch any rainwater that would drip into the room. They looked down, feeling something soft. Underneath them was a blanket, threadbare yet still holding together despite its evident age.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The previously unconscious person stood up, leaving the blanket on the floor as they examined the area a little further. There was an unlit fire pit next to where they’d been sleeping surrounded by more time-worn blankets. The floor was mostly clean except for a thick coat of dirt and a pile of garbage in a corner. The walls that had seemed so structurally unsound at first glance had actually been reinforced by metal poles acting as supports and pillars.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“This building won’t hold forever, even if the poles’ll slow down the collapse” a voice spoke up, startling the curious on-looker. The experienced builder’s voice was a surprise in the quiet space, though not an unwelcome one.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“A-ah! Bdubs hi! Um, where are we…?” The heir questioned the spirit. They looked around at the supporting poles, now apprehensive about approaching the broken walls.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re in the city! We finally got here buddy! Well, there was a lil bit of a mess first, but, uh, we made it!” The disembodied voice cheerfully announced. The heir smiled brightly at the news. They’d finally arrived at their destination! Now they just had to find-</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey Aura! There’s someone there!” A voice, this one unknown and not from a ghostly object, spoke up. The heir started and turned around, looking to whomever had spoken. Before them stood two people. One was short and blond, pigtails framing bright green eyes. The other had blue raven hair tied in a ponytail with her face hidden behind a featureless white mask. The short one grinned, freckles becoming obvious on her face as she approached the silently processing heir.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Did you crash here during the night? This is our place you know!” She accused, her high-pitched voice familiar. The heir realized that she’d been the one to surprise them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Ah, um, sorry. I didn’t know anyone lived here. In fact, I’m not quite sure how I got here…” the heir answered, hands starting to wring themselves together in a small sign of nervousness.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Aci, don’t scare them…” the other stranger sighed, as if she’d had to chide the shorter one many times before. Aci only laughed, sounding like a little gremlin with no remorse.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“But Aura, it’s funnn!” Aci complained to her long-suffering companion, the teasing tone of her voice betraying that she wasn’t sorry at all. Aura merely sighed again and turned to the nervous heir.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It’s fine if you stayed here during the night. We set up this place for people to be able to rest in if they don’t have anywhere to go… kind of like us I guess.” The masked girl explained, gesturing to Aci and herself. Aci rolled her eyes and kicked the dirt as she looked down at her shoes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We just know what it’s like not to have a place to go to is all” she said, tone carefully neutral and posture aloof. The grin that had been present before had slipped off a little.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Um, anyways! Now that you’re awake and we’re here, do you want some breakfast? I can make some decent pancakes!” Aura cut in, clapping her hands together. Aci perked up and excitedly nodded while the heir hesitated.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You should get some food kiddo. I’m sure her cooking isn’t that bad!” Bdubs spoke up, a joking tone to his voice despite his message of self-care. He went unheard by the two girls, only the heir being able to hear him. They nodded at his words, which Aura took as them agreeing to her pancakes. She smiled under her mask and headed towards the fire pit. She crouched down next to the pit and pried at some olden floorboards. She took out a metal box and started taking out the cooking utensils she’d need along with some pancake mix. Aci headed to the pit itself and started bringing some blankets together into seats for the trio.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Aci beckoned the heir to sit next to her while Aura went to get some firewood from the corner of the room. While the masked girl started cooking, the heir and Aci talked. At first, Aci had to coax the other into speech, until they were finally talking normally. They talked of everything and nothing, only pausing when Aura was finished with the pancakes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">This whole interaction was a breath of fresh air for the heir. They’d been running around finding these ancient treasures and getting chased everywhere… It was nice to just relax and make friends for once.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">However, they knew they couldn’t stay forever. Their time with the two had been nice but… they had things to do. Duties to fulfill. When they expressed their desire to leave, the two girls escorted them outside. The three of them all hugged, with the heir giving false promises of seeing them again. Guilt prickled at them uncomfortably but now was not the time to deal with it.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh, I don’t think we got your name!” Aura piped up as they all said their farewells. Aci raised a curious brow at the heir, question in her eyes. The heir wasn’t sure how the trio made such a large oversight. They smiled as they started walking away.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“My name is Silas”</p>
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